diff --git a/app/src/command.c b/app/src/command.c
index b7ea67d2..cc11a0de 100644
--- a/app/src/command.c
+++ b/app/src/command.c
@@ -18,9 +18,25 @@ static inline const char *get_adb_command() {
     return adb_command;
 }
 
+static void show_adb_err_msg(enum process_result err) {
+    switch (err) {
+        case PROCESS_ERROR_GENERIC:
+            LOGE("Failed to execute adb");
+            break;
+        case PROCESS_ERROR_MISSING_BINARY:
+            LOGE("'adb' command not found (make it accessible from your PATH "
+                  "or define its full path in the ADB environment variable)");
+            break;
+        case PROCESS_SUCCESS:
+            /* do nothing */
+            break;
+    }
+}
+
 process_t adb_execute(const char *serial, const char *const adb_cmd[], int len) {
     const char *cmd[len + 4];
     int i;
+    process_t process;
     cmd[0] = get_adb_command();
     if (serial) {
         cmd[1] = "-s";
@@ -32,7 +48,12 @@ process_t adb_execute(const char *serial, const char *const adb_cmd[], int len)
 
     memcpy(&cmd[i], adb_cmd, len * sizeof(const char *));
     cmd[len + i] = NULL;
-    return cmd_execute(cmd[0], cmd);
+    enum process_result r = cmd_execute(cmd[0], cmd, &process);
+    if (r != PROCESS_SUCCESS) {
+        show_adb_err_msg(r);
+        return PROCESS_NONE;
+    }
+    return process;
 }
 
 process_t adb_forward(const char *serial, uint16_t local_port, const char *device_socket_name) {
diff --git a/app/src/command.h b/app/src/command.h
index 4113f251..3e0fcca6 100644
--- a/app/src/command.h
+++ b/app/src/command.h
@@ -32,7 +32,13 @@
 #endif
 # define NO_EXIT_CODE -1
 
-process_t cmd_execute(const char *path, const char *const argv[]);
+enum process_result {
+    PROCESS_SUCCESS,
+    PROCESS_ERROR_GENERIC,
+    PROCESS_ERROR_MISSING_BINARY,
+};
+
+enum process_result cmd_execute(const char *path, const char *const argv[], process_t *process);
 SDL_bool cmd_terminate(process_t pid);
 SDL_bool cmd_simple_wait(process_t pid, exit_code_t *exit_code);
 
diff --git a/app/src/sys/unix/command.c b/app/src/sys/unix/command.c
index 0083a93b..ed9bbeac 100644
--- a/app/src/sys/unix/command.c
+++ b/app/src/sys/unix/command.c
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #include "command.h"
 
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
 #include <signal.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
@@ -7,18 +9,65 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include "log.h"
 
-pid_t cmd_execute(const char *path, const char *const argv[]) {
-    pid_t pid = fork();
-    if (pid == -1) {
-        perror("fork");
-        return -1;
+enum process_result cmd_execute(const char *path, const char *const argv[], pid_t *pid) {
+    int fd[2];
+
+    if (pipe(fd) == -1) {
+        perror("pipe");
+        return PROCESS_ERROR_GENERIC;
     }
-    if (pid == 0) {
-        execvp(path, (char *const *)argv);
-        perror("exec");
+
+    enum process_result ret = PROCESS_SUCCESS;
+
+    *pid = fork();
+    if (*pid == -1) {
+        perror("fork");
+        ret = PROCESS_ERROR_GENERIC;
+        goto end;
+    }
+
+    if (*pid > 0) {
+        // parent close write side
+        close(fd[1]);
+        fd[1] = -1;
+        // wait for EOF or receive errno from child
+        if (read(fd[0], &ret, sizeof(ret)) == -1) {
+            perror("read");
+            ret = PROCESS_ERROR_GENERIC;
+            goto end;
+        }
+    } else if (*pid == 0) {
+        // child close read side
+        close(fd[0]);
+        if (fcntl(fd[1], F_SETFD, FD_CLOEXEC) == 0) {
+            execvp(path, (char *const *)argv);
+            if (errno == ENOENT) {
+                ret = PROCESS_ERROR_MISSING_BINARY;
+            } else {
+                ret = PROCESS_ERROR_GENERIC;
+            }
+            perror("exec");
+        } else {
+            perror("fcntl");
+            ret = PROCESS_ERROR_GENERIC;
+        }
+        // send ret to the parent
+        if (write(fd[1], &ret, sizeof(ret)) == -1) {
+            perror("write");
+        }
+        // close write side before exiting
+        close(fd[1]);
         _exit(1);
     }
-    return pid;
+
+end:
+    if (fd[0] != -1) {
+        close(fd[0]);
+    }
+    if (fd[1] != -1) {
+        close(fd[1]);
+    }
+    return ret;
 }
 
 SDL_bool cmd_terminate(pid_t pid) {
diff --git a/app/src/sys/win/command.c b/app/src/sys/win/command.c
index 2552eeca..7a29442d 100644
--- a/app/src/sys/win/command.c
+++ b/app/src/sys/win/command.c
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 #include "log.h"
 #include "str_util.h"
 
-HANDLE cmd_execute(const char *path, const char *const argv[]) {
+enum process_result cmd_execute(const char *path, const char *const argv[], HANDLE *handle) {
     STARTUPINFO si;
     PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;
     memset(&si, 0, sizeof(si));
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ HANDLE cmd_execute(const char *path, const char *const argv[]) {
     size_t ret = xstrjoin(cmd, argv, ' ', sizeof(cmd));
     if (ret >= sizeof(cmd)) {
         LOGE("Command too long (%" PRIsizet " chars)", sizeof(cmd) - 1);
-        return NULL;
+        *handle = NULL;
+        return PROCESS_ERROR_GENERIC;
     }
 
 #ifdef WINDOWS_NOCONSOLE
@@ -27,10 +28,12 @@ HANDLE cmd_execute(const char *path, const char *const argv[]) {
     int flags = 0;
 #endif
     if (!CreateProcess(NULL, cmd, NULL, NULL, FALSE, flags, NULL, NULL, &si, &pi)) {
-        return NULL;
+        *handle = NULL;
+        return PROCESS_ERROR_GENERIC;
     }
 
-    return pi.hProcess;
+    *handle = pi.hProcess;
+    return PROCESS_SUCCESS;
 }
 
 SDL_bool cmd_terminate(HANDLE handle) {